The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Are All of America's Coastal Cities Now at Risk?
Hurricane Sandy demonstrates that the impacts of climate change -- rising sea levels and more extreme weather patterns -- mean that the future of America's coastal cities is in doubt.
Will New Neighbors Overshadow Hollywood Landmark?
The predicted "New Yorkification" of Hollywood appears to have finally found its incarnation in the proposal released last week to build twin 500- and 600-foot towers adjacent to the historic Capitol Records building.
The One Form of Public Transit That Sandy Didn't Shut Down
Though fewer in number, taxis had no competition with subways, buses, and commuter rail all shut down in advance of the Monday night storm. Matt Flegenheimer continues his update on how Hurricane Sandy affected pubic transit and roads in New York.
Tough Questions for Creative Placemakers
The process by which creative types colonize a distressed neighborhood, making it safe for hipsters and developers, has become a common template for urban revitalization efforts. Neeraj Mehta asks who is served, and who isn't, by these forces.
Density Giveth and Taketh Away
In a prescient article for the events of this week, John Seo looks at how the global march towards increased density (in technology, land use, and financial markets) has consequences, both beneficial and catastrophic.
LEED Certification: Path to Better Buildings or Bigger Bottom Lines?
With supporting evidence from a USA TODAY analysis, Thomas Frank examines the LEED points system and finds that certification, and the tax breaks and other rewards that go with it, can be easily obtained without proven environmental impact.
Hurricane Sandy Has Something to Say About Climate Change
The silence on climate change during the presidential debates was deafening. With Hurricane Sandy disrupting the final week of the campaign, Mother Nature is having the last word.
Stunning Images Capture Sandy's Assault on NYC
In case you missed it, <em>The Atlantic Cities</em> has compiled some of the most arresting photos of Hurricane Sandy's historic visit to Manhattan, as reported on social media and elsewhere Monday evening.
Real Tomorrowland Comes to Orlando
Last week, networking infrastructure company Cisco announced that the Orlando community of Lake Nona will be the site of the first of the company's nine planned "Smart+Connected" cities, which will endeavor to "unify urban development and IT."
Unprecedented Northeast Transit Shutdown as Sandy Approaches
Sommer Mathis writes about the largest planned shutdown ever of train and bus service in the U.S. as New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. cancel service on the eve of Hurricane Sandy's arrival along the mid-Atlantic seaboard.
Too Ugly to Preserve?
As D.C.'s J. Edgar Hoover Building reaches the end of its 40 years of service as the headquarters of the FBI, one of the city's last examples of Brutalist architecture is getting little love from preservationists as discussion begin over its fate.
Experience Hurricane Sandy from the Safety of Your Desk
For the next few days, America's eyes will be on the East Coast, where a historic storm is already making its presence felt. Quartz has posted a list of webcams to provide you with a first-hand experience of the storm, from the safety of your desk.
Would a Romney Administration Cut FEMA?
On the eve of landfall of Hurricane Sandy, Matthew Yglesias recalls Mitt Romney's 2011 response to a GOP primary debate question in which he called federal disaster relief spending "immoral."
What Can Be Done to Revive L.A.'s Forgotten First Park
Pershing Square occupies a special place in the physical and historical landscape of Los Angeles. But the city's first park has been the victim of poor redesigns and a "massive failure of civic vision." Can anything be done to fix it?
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Does it Make a Difference if a Planning Program is in a Policy, Design, or Other Kind of School?
Students investigating options often ask if it makes a difference where the planning school is located. The short answer is it matters less to students than many think.
San Francisco Searches for a Suitable Guardian for its Trees
How to care for S.F.'s 110,000 street trees and 130,000 park trees was the subject of a hearing last week called by Supervisor Scott Wiener. The Department of Public Works is engaged in a controversial program to transfer care to property owners.
Kansas City Puts Down Payment on Clearing Blight
Joining a host of other Midwestern cities establishing land banks to help corral, clear, and repurpose their vacant properties, Kansas City will begin transferring 3,500 vacant properties it recently acquired into a city-owned land bank.
Toronto Towers Not Exactly Birds' Best Friends
A lethal combination of a rapidly expanding modern skyline and the intersection of several major migratory flight paths have rendered Toronto one of the world’s most deadly cities for migratory birds, reports Ian Austen.
Who Will Pay for America's $2.2 Trillion Infrastructure Backlog?
With the federal government unable to agree on much of anything, state and local taxpayers are bearing the burden for repairing and replacing America's aging infrastructure says a new report from Standard & Poor’s Rating Services.
Testing Density with Trick or Treaters
Planner and urbanist Brent Toderian explains why Halloween is his favorite holiday.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
